Here’s How To Strengthen A Weak Core

A strong core is imperative to prevent injuries and to enjoy an active lifestyle. Comprising of abdominal, hip, and back…

A strong core is imperative to prevent injuries and to enjoy an active lifestyle. Comprising of abdominal, hip, and back muscles, it allows you to live a pain-free life. Yes, if you have a firm core, you will hardly struggle with musculoskeletal conditions like lower back pain, pelvic pain, and hip and knee pain, etc.

If you have a weak core, you are bound to experience lower back pain because it puts a lot of stress on your back muscles while you perform spinal motions. Since both your back and abdominal muscles work together most of the times when you carry out physical activities, it’s essential for them to be strong enough for optimal performance. So, when you have weak core muscles, you remain at the risk of experiencing musculoskeletal pain while straightening, bending, and lifting heavy items.

Your core, which is also known as the torso or trunk, is a highly significant part of your bo that consists of some of the most critical muscles that support functional movements. The reason you should have a healthy core is that it houses some of the most significant body organs.

For example, the abdomen houses all the essential organs that support digestion such as stomach, liver, both large and small intestines, gallbladder, kidneys, and urethra. Besides, rib cage, which guards the heart and lungs, is also within the core.

A Brief Note On The Functions of Some of These Parts

Stomach

The primary function of the stomach is to break down food with the help of gastric acid, which is nothing but a digestive fluid that is made up of potassium chloride, hydrochloric acid, and sodium chloride. Gastric acid, which forms in the stomach, plays an indispensable role in digesting proteins. To digest proteins, it stimulates digestive enzymes.

Liver

The liver helps in producing bile, a yellowish brown fluid, that is essential for digestion. Without the production of this fluid, it won’t be possible to digest food.

Large Intestine

Also known as the colon, the large intestine is an integral part of the gastrointestinal tract. It absorbs water and also contains the waste material until it is flushed out from the food.

Kidney

The kidneys, which are one of the most crucial organs in the human body, produce urine. Located in the back of the abdominal cavity, these are two bean-shaped organs that are utterly fundamental for living a healthy life.

What you need to understand is without a healthy core, it’s just not possible for the above organs to function effectively.

Major Core Muscles Include:

Internal and external obliques

Transversus abdominis

Erector spinae

Rectus Adbominis

Tips For Strengthening Your Core

Seek Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is an immensely significant way of strengthening your body. And the best part is that it is not only vital for improving your muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and joints but is also essential for treating a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions like back pain, neck pain, hip and knee pain, and pelvic floor pain, etc.

They use a wide range of physical therapy techniques to heal musculoskeletal conditions. And the best part is that, if you are facing a health problem due to a weak core, then your physical therapist will teach you useful exercises to meet your recovery goals.

They may incorporate a lot of stretching and strength building exercises into your care plan to strengthen your core muscles. On the other hand, when it comes to treating musculoskeletal conditions like back pain, your physical therapist may use physical therapy techniques like manual therapy, dry needling, and myofascial release. If you talk particularly about dry needling.

According to MMA & Sports Rehab, a physical therapy clinic in Arlington, VA, “Dry needling involves multiple advances of a solid filament needle directly into the skin and strained or spasmodic muscle that contains a trigger point. Because the needle is relatively thin, most patients do not feel much pain or irritation and may experience slight needle stick/soreness.“

Start Exercising at Home

You can also start exercising at home to improve your core muscles. If you do not know what kind of exercises you should do, then, you can take the help of a fitness trainer, or you can find out from platforms like YouTube.

Find out what are the best stretches for healthy core and start performing them regularly.

Make sure that you do not begin your workouts on an empty stomach because that’s not good for your health. You can eat high carb foods at least two hours before you start exercising. It is also essential to keep your body hydrated because you sweat a lot while performing exercises.

The best part of exercising at home is that you can stick to your routine for a long time.

Consume Nutritious Food

Nutritious food plays a vital role in strengthening your core muscles. However, if you do not know which foods are significant for building muscles, you can take the support of the internet to figure out. You can include foods like salmon, tuna, shrimp, chicken breast, soybeans, beans, and eggs, etc., in your diet to build strong core muscles.

If you follow these tips vigorously, nothing can stop you from having a strong core.